Vaccine Registration and Early January COVID-19 Update

As COVID-19 vaccines are on the way to hospitals, clinics and long-term care facilities across New Jersey, you may wonder how you can arrange for your vaccination.

We are pleased to share that the State of New Jersey has just opened up its Covid-19 Vaccine Registration Scheduling website.  The purpose of the registry is to keep a record of recipients’ information so that the state and federal government can effectively monitor the administration of dosages and ensure that you receive not only your first dosage when eligible, but also your second at the appropriate interval.  You may opt out of the database 30 days after the public health emergency concludes. 

Reserve your spot to get a vaccine now by pre-registering here.  They’ll ask some questions to determine when you are eligible to receive a vaccination.

Filling out the form should only take about 15 minutes, and your personal the information will be kept private with the State of New Jersey.  Reserve your spot.

Once you complete your registration you will receive a confirmation email letting you know that you have successfully registered and to inform you that you also shortly receive another email confirming your phase in the prioritization process.  As you know, COVID-19 vaccinations will be made available in phases to ensure those most at risk are prioritized.  When it’s time for you to schedule your appointment, you will receive another email inviting you to do so. 

If you believe you may have had an error while registering, or need to change your submitted information, they invite you to inform them via the link provided: https://covid19.nj.gov/vss-feedback/.  Fill out this form and they will work to resolve the issue as quickly as they can.  

We also provide our latest update on the number of COVID-19 cases in New Jersey, Mercer County and Ewing Township and urge all residents to continue to use extreme caution as the COVID crisis is still testing us all and dominating our daily activities.    

Ewing Daily Cases from March 18, 2020

Mercer County Vaccination Plan

We share the following information from Mercer County Executive, Brian Hughes on the County’s Vaccination Plan and efforts to combat the crisis. 

The County’s vaccination plan is beginning to take shape as they shift away from testing.  The Mercer County Health Department will be following the outlines for distribution as set forth by the New Jersey Department of Health in conjunction with the Mercer County Health Officers Association, Mercer County municipalities and health care providers to ensure that the vaccine will be distributed in a fair and equitable manner.  It is early in the distribution process and only a very small number of doses have been made available to towns and have been or will be distributed to health care workers, hospitals and long-term care residents and staff.  

• The New Jersey COVID-19 Information Hub posted on December 28^th that the vaccination of long term care residents and staff has begun (announcement). 
• Additionally, as of December 29^th, vaccinations at Veterans Memorial Homes also began (announcement).
• Governor Murphy Reminds New Jerseyans of Coverage Benefits for COVID-19 Vaccine (announcement).

Once the health care workers and local EMS providers in Priority Group 1A are vaccinated, a determination at the state level will be made to move to the next priority group, 1B, currently set to comprise front-line essential workers and individuals over 75.

Regional Vaccination Sites

When more vaccine is available, Mercer County and our partners will stand up a larger, regional site for our residents at one or more locations to be announced, and we vow to reach our most vulnerable and marginalized communities by empowering our community leaders to be the bridge.

Full Text of the County Executive’s Message

New COVID Variants

In the news lately have been reports of a new more contagious COVID variant first identified as being from the UK, known as B.1.1.7. Several nations have also identified an additional variant, first identified in South Africa, that also appears to infect people more easily.  To date, it has been found in 4 states (Colorado, California, New York and Florida) and 33 countries.  The CDC provides some information about coronavirus mutations on their Emerging SARS-CoV-2 Variants webpage.  Experts expect the vaccines to work against the new strain, which seems to have an increased rate of transmission but so far doesn't appear to be more deadly or change the course of the disease.  However, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, stressed the need for more studies in recent interviews. 

Our best defense against the disease is to follow the safety tips below:

Safety Tips

We remind all residents of the following strategies to help you stay safe:

• Keep Your Distance -- stay at least six feet away from others -- and Wear a Face Covering.
• Wash Your Hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds especially after being in a public place, as well as after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
• If soap and water are not accessible, use a Hand Sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry.
• Avoid Touching Your Eyes, Nose and Mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid Close Contact with people who are sick.
• Stay Home if you are sick, except to get medical care. Learn what to do if you are sick.
• Cover Your Mouth and Nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze or use the inside of your elbow.

Additional Resources

• For more information visit our COVID-19 webpage or covid19.nj.gov.
• Covid 19 Resident Resources from Mercer County.

[1] https://covid19.nj.gov/ with 1/6/2021 noon data

[2] https://mercernj.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/6a9746e0df254b7bb56083d827972321     with 1/5/2021 data

[3] https://mercernj.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/6a9746e0df254b7bb56083d827972321     with 1/5/2021 data

[4] From the Ewing Township Health Office (of the last 4, some are older and just discovered)